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Post by stephen on Feb 21, 2018 19:26:23 GMT
A.K.A. The film every single one of you voting for the AMARAs needs to see before casting your ballot.
The Death of Stalin is a perfect film for Armando Iannucci to make: a skewering satire on a historical regime change that nevertheless feels potently prescient. It's smartly written, briskly edited, and every single actor knocks it out of the bloody park to make it one of the strongest ensembles of the last few years. Steve Buscemi holds it all together as the scheming Khrushchev, who is really just a more put-upon version of his Nucky Thompson. Jason Isaacs is a hoot, Jeffrey Tambor is haplessly hilarious . . . but it's Simon Russell Beale who walks away with the film under one flabby arm. His Beria seethes with a darkness that would make him a terrifying villain in a straight drama (someone get this guy in the next Bond movie!), but here his malignancy festers in the bureaucratic clusterfuck the film's titular event results in. I daresay you won't walk away with this film without at least two of these guys making your lineups.
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Post by idioticbunny on Feb 21, 2018 23:00:43 GMT
Can't wait to check this one out, but doubt I'll see it any time soon (March and April will be packing and moving months so this month is the last time I'll really get around to anything new). Excited to hear about Simon Russell Beale as I thought he was pretty great in The Deep Blue Sea a few years back and haven't really seen him get a chance to do much else.
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Feb 21, 2018 23:55:36 GMT
I would if Iannucci would let me see it. I’m hoping for good things, because In the Loop is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.
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Post by JangoB on Feb 22, 2018 0:08:19 GMT
I was interested in this anyway, but seeing how my country banned it, I'm now curious and excited as ever!
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Feb 22, 2018 3:09:20 GMT
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Feb 22, 2018 10:45:54 GMT
A.K.A. The film every single one of you voting for the AMARAs needs to see before casting your ballot. The Death of Stalin is a perfect film for Armando Iannucci to make: a skewering satire on a historical regime change that nevertheless feels potently prescient. It's smartly written, briskly edited, and every single actor knocks it out of the bloody park to make it one of the strongest ensembles of the last few years. Steve Buscemi holds it all together as the scheming Khrushchev, who is really just a more put-upon version of his Nucky Thompson. Jason Isaacs is a hoot, Jeffrey Tambor is haplessly hilarious . . . but it's Simon Russell Beale who walks away with the film under one flabby arm. His Beria seethes with a darkness that would make him a terrifying villain in a straight drama (someone get this guy in the next Bond movie!), but here his malignancy festers in the bureaucratic clusterfuck the film's titular event results in. I daresay you won't walk away with this film without at least two of these guys making your lineups. That is one glowing review if I ever read one! I had forgotten about this film. I was interested when I read the synopsis last year and the fact that Steve Buscemi was in it. I'm a little picky when it comes to satire though. I usually don't like when it's too overt. |
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Post by harlequinade on Feb 22, 2018 10:52:42 GMT
I'm counting this as 2018 release and including it in this year's line up, screw it  In the Loop is my #3 of all time, the Thick of It is my favorite show, so I was expecting, misled by trailers, something as hilarious and a pure comedy and this had PLENTY of incredibly unpleasant scenes. Still, it was incredibly well written. Beale is MVP for me too but Isaacs nearly stole the show |
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Post by stephen on Feb 22, 2018 13:25:29 GMT
A.K.A. The film every single one of you voting for the AMARAs needs to see before casting your ballot. The Death of Stalin is a perfect film for Armando Iannucci to make: a skewering satire on a historical regime change that nevertheless feels potently prescient. It's smartly written, briskly edited, and every single actor knocks it out of the bloody park to make it one of the strongest ensembles of the last few years. Steve Buscemi holds it all together as the scheming Khrushchev, who is really just a more put-upon version of his Nucky Thompson. Jason Isaacs is a hoot, Jeffrey Tambor is haplessly hilarious . . . but it's Simon Russell Beale who walks away with the film under one flabby arm. His Beria seethes with a darkness that would make him a terrifying villain in a straight drama (someone get this guy in the next Bond movie!), but here his malignancy festers in the bureaucratic clusterfuck the film's titular event results in. I daresay you won't walk away with this film without at least two of these guys making your lineups. That is one glowing review if I ever read one! I had forgotten about this film. I was interested when I read the synopsis last year and the fact that Steve Buscemi was in it. I'm a little picky when it comes to satire though. I usually don't like when it's too overt. I think the fact that it's so overt works because of how utterly miserable the Stalin regime was, and how everyone that was a part of it knew it was but still had to go along with it. |
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Post by stephen on Feb 22, 2018 13:26:22 GMT
I'm counting this as 2018 release and including it in this year's line up, screw it In the Loop is my #3 of all time, the Thick of It is my favorite show, so I was expecting, misled by trailers, something as hilarious and a pure comedy and this had PLENTY of incredibly unpleasant scenes. Still, it was incredibly well written. Beale is MVP for me too but Isaacs nearly stole the show If there had been more of him, Isaacs would definitely be right up there. Hell, he might still be. Still, though, let's get Beale those #1 votes. |
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Feb 22, 2018 20:28:05 GMT
That is one glowing review if I ever read one! I had forgotten about this film. I was interested when I read the synopsis last year and the fact that Steve Buscemi was in it. I'm a little picky when it comes to satire though. I usually don't like when it's too overt. I think the fact that it's so overt works because of how utterly miserable the Stalin regime was, and how everyone that was a part of it knew it was but still had to go along with it. It could work. I'd have to see it. |
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Post by bob-coppola on Feb 22, 2018 20:40:29 GMT
I'll watch it later tonight. Are you guys counting it as a 2017 or 2018 release?
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Feb 22, 2018 20:53:27 GMT
This is on my watch list for next week. i'm looking forward to it, and glad to hear some more positives here.
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matheusf
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Post by matheusf on Feb 23, 2018 6:12:19 GMT
God! I would kill to see this. Not only because I'm a huge fan of Iannucci, but also cause last semester I read this Pierre Broué book that covered the rise and fall of the USSR and I wrote a report exactly on this specific post Stalin period (with focus on the De-Stalinization). Knowing Beria steals the show just made my day  |
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Film Socialism
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Post by Film Socialism on Feb 23, 2018 7:32:52 GMT
is this reactionary anti-commie agitprop or legitimate cinema
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Post by harlequinade on Feb 23, 2018 12:11:17 GMT
I'm counting this as 2018 release and including it in this year's line up, screw it In the Loop is my #3 of all time, the Thick of It is my favorite show, so I was expecting, misled by trailers, something as hilarious and a pure comedy and this had PLENTY of incredibly unpleasant scenes. Still, it was incredibly well written. Beale is MVP for me too but Isaacs nearly stole the show If there had been more of him, Isaacs would definitely be right up there. Hell, he might still be. Still, though, let's get Beale those #1 votes.  |
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Post by stephen on Feb 24, 2018 18:10:26 GMT
If there had been more of him, Isaacs would definitely be right up there. Hell, he might still be. Still, though, let's get Beale those #1 votes. I'm going to have to report this conversation, threatening to do harm or obstruct any member of the Presidium in the process of look at your fuckin' face. |
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Post by countjohn on Feb 25, 2018 19:01:36 GMT
Dying to see this, the trailers look so funny, very much in line with my sense of humor. I'm just not sure what's going on with the release.
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Post by harlequinade on Feb 28, 2018 17:35:32 GMT
My advice is to not think about this one as a comedy. It's a satire but I was honestly surprised at how real it got few times
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Feb 28, 2018 20:49:37 GMT
I liked it a fair bit, didn't love it though; totally agree with it being Beale's film.
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Film Socialism
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Post by Film Socialism on Mar 2, 2018 0:35:31 GMT
when is someone gonna answer my damn question tho!!!!
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Mar 2, 2018 2:46:58 GMT
is this reactionary anti-commie agitprop or legitimate c in em aI haven't seen it but a real communist would dance naked on Stalin's lukewarm corpse like he/she/it (I don't want to discriminize against potential robo-commies) would cheer the downfall of the Soviet Union which was a great victory for global communism. I doubt the film is reactionary, you're not mocking communism by mocking Stalin and I think even most people who don't like communism know that. If anything by discrediting Stalin - and the only thing you have to do to discredit Stalin is to stay remotely historically acurate - you're probably helping out the standing of communism. But I don't think it looks very funny. I think the Coen bros dealt with soviet communism nicely in their latest, Hail Cesar! |
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Post by Film Socialism on Mar 2, 2018 3:08:32 GMT
is this reactionary anti-commie agitprop or legitimate c in em aI haven't seen it but a real communist would dance naked on Stalin's lukewarm corpse like he/she/it (I don't want to discriminize against potential robo-commies) would cheer the downfall of the Soviet Union which was a great victory for global communism. I doubt the film is reactionary, you're not mocking communism by mocking Stalin and I think even most people who don't like communism know that. If anything by discrediting Stalin - and the only thing you have to do to discredit Stalin is to stay remotely historically acurate - you're probably helping out the standing of communism. But I don't think it looks very funny. I think the Coen bros dealt with soviet communism nicely in their latest, Hail Cesar! i'm not a full blown tankie really but i think there's a difference between a capitalist hating stalin for being communist (and believing the black book of communism's rampant dishonesty) and a communist hating stalin for being an effective authoritarian capitalist. but since stalin is what many people conjure when they think of communism, making a film against stalin (especially if i don't know anything about the director and assume them to be capitalist since, well, most people are) is going to have those reactionary connotations. never been much of a fan of old joseph and if there's a film out there that takes a reasonable (read: not blaming him for forcing the clouds not to rain) stance then that could be cool, but forgive me if i assume that mainstream liberal filmmaking will not adhere to those terms && conditions |
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Mar 3, 2018 2:49:46 GMT
I haven't seen it but a real communist would dance naked on Stalin's lukewarm corpse like he/she/it (I don't want to discriminize against potential robo-commies) would cheer the downfall of the Soviet Union which was a great victory for global communism. I doubt the film is reactionary, you're not mocking communism by mocking Stalin and I think even most people who don't like communism know that. If anything by discrediting Stalin - and the only thing you have to do to discredit Stalin is to stay remotely historically acurate - you're probably helping out the standing of communism. But I don't think it looks very funny. I think the Coen bros dealt with soviet communism nicely in their latest, Hail Cesar! i'm not a full blown tankie really but i think there's a difference between a capitalist hating stalin for being communist (and believing the black book of communism's rampant dishonesty) and a communist hating stalin for being an effective authoritarian capitalist. but since stalin is what many people conjure when they think of communism, making a film against stalin (especially if i don't know anything about the director and assume them to be capitalist since, well, most people are) is going to have those reactionary connotations. Yeah, that's just what I was adressing, I don't think such a film would be effective today. I don't think you can make a major film that makes fun of Stalin for being a communist that would return its budget. Claiming that because of Stalin communism is awful might work in some circles on the internet but it a) wouldn't go well with much of the potential audience of a Stalin satire (I mean consider who goes to see this and if they'd either lean left or right - maybe it's different in the US but in Germany the overwhelming majority would probably lean left, similar in Britain, at least among people below 60) and b) wouldn't make for a good movie either way because there is barely a single good joke in that and there is no compelling narrative. Well, as I said, I think the Coens had a genuinly funny take on it in Hail Cesar! but that was more communism and the Soviet Union in general, not Stalin. Barton Fink is also kind of a communist(ish) comedy. |
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Post by Film Socialism on Mar 3, 2018 19:12:39 GMT
i'm not a full blown tankie really but i think there's a difference between a capitalist hating stalin for being communist (and believing the black book of communism's rampant dishonesty) and a communist hating stalin for being an effective authoritarian capitalist. but since stalin is what many people conjure when they think of communism, making a film against stalin (especially if i don't know anything about the director and assume them to be capitalist since, well, most people are) is going to have those reactionary connotations. Yeah, that's just what I was adressing, I don't think such a film would be effective today. I don't think you can make a major film that makes fun of Stalin for being a communist that would return its budget. Claiming that because of Stalin communism is awful might work in some circles on the internet but it a) wouldn't go well with much of the potential audience of a Stalin satire (I mean consider who goes to see this and if they'd either lean left or right - maybe it's different in the US but in Germany the overwhelming majority would probably lean left, similar in Britain, at least among people below 60) and b) wouldn't make for a good movie either way because there is barely a single good joke in that and there is no compelling narrative. Well, as I said, I think the Coens had a genuinly funny take on it in Hail Cesar! but that was more communism and the Soviet Union in general, not Stalin. Barton Fink is also kind of a communist(ish) comedy. i didn't mind it in either of the coens films, it also doesn't appear to be at the direct forefront of either story (BF it's sort of subtle, and HC! is sort of a radical centrist thing that makes fun of both sides). interesting analysis but i'm not entirely sure i agree with it as an american; here the black book of communism is seen as truth and people tend to believe that the soviet union was leftist through and through and all sorts of half truths. but the director is european i believe so maybe he catches the nuances you're speaking of. |
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Post by DanQuixote on Mar 5, 2018 23:57:20 GMT
The whole ensemble is fantastic, but Simon Russell Beale man, he's so fucking great and easily in my lineup.
Andrea Riseborough also proves yet again that she's one of the best actresses of her generation too.
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In the Loop is my #3 of all time, the Thick of It is my favorite show, so I was expecting, misled by trailers, something as hilarious and a pure comedy and this had PLENTY of incredibly unpleasant scenes. Still, it was incredibly well written. Beale is MVP for me too but Isaacs nearly stole the show
